Saturday, December 7, 2013

Why Study Weapons?

I've decided that my interests mainly lie in weapons, so I'm going to expand my study into the kobudo weapons, staring with the Jo.

I have lots of friends in the martial arts, and when I have expressed my interest to learn lots more about weapons, they have repeatedly asked me, "What happens when you're not armed?"

Let's set aside the whole "weapon is the extension of the hand" thing, where when you study weapons, you are studying the empty hand. Yes, of course that is true, but that's not my point.

I'm always armed.

I don't mean I carry a knife (I do - just a very small folder in my purse) or gun or anything like that ready for conflict at all times. It's not practical in my life to do that.

I'm always armed, because there are almost always weapons around me.

Take, for example, a typical office.

Not pictured: Empty Soda Can Graveyard.

Looking at this picture, you don't see too much there to defend yourself, do you? Well, look again:

Pictured: Arsenal.

Off the top of my head, the red circled objects are items I could pick up and use in a pinch to defend myself.

The glasses in particular draw my attention - recently in my neck of the woods, we had fugitive who escaped custody using broken glasses.

Grapevine police said Morales was able to take off his eye
glasses, break off the frame, and use the sharp, broken end as a blade to
attack the lone officer guarding him, 54-year-old Jaime Pardinas, stabbing
Pardinas once in the chest and three times in the back before fleeing. Miami Prisoner Stabs Police Officer

So, yes, in that room above, I've got lots of options.

Take a moment, wherever you are reading this post right now, and look around you. What weapons are handy?

A pen? A coffee cup? A laptop bag or briefcase? A t-shirt or small throw blanket? A beer or soda bottle?

All of these, in a pinch, can be used, if you study and practice using them.